


A Small Moment

by atomicsuperkick



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Bathing/Washing, F/M, One Shot, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-04
Updated: 2016-02-04
Packaged: 2018-05-18 04:28:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5898256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atomicsuperkick/pseuds/atomicsuperkick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>MacCready and Nora return to Sanctuary after a long trip, and the one thing Nora has been desperately missing is being able to take a bath.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Small Moment

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a post by ineedymaccready on tumblr [here!](http://ineedymaccready.tumblr.com/post/138296153902/imagine-maccready-being-all-confused-at-seeing-the)

“God, how much longer 'til we get back to Sanctuary?” Nora frowned as she tried to coax the last drops of water from her canteen. Defeated, she sighed and screwed the cap back on, stuffing it back in her overfull pack. She was thirsty, hungry, tired, and Christ, she felt so...stale. 

“I'm so tired and, even better, I just ran out of water.” She turned to face her companion, Robert Joseph MacCready. 

He rolled his eyes and scoffed. “We're in Concord, not much longer until we get back. We'd be there a lot faster if you stopped picking up garbage.” They were making their way down the main street, the bodies of the raiders they had picked off earlier that week starting to really bake in the sun. He wrinkled his nose but didn't think too much of it. He wondered if Nora had adjusted to the stench, if one could even make that kind of adjustment. 

She sidled up next to him, her lower lip jutting out just enough to make him stare. He had no idea what the hell she saw in him, but he'd never get tired of just looking at her.

“But that garbage-” she paused and flicked her soft brown eyes up to meet his--“makes generators, water purifiers, and, hell, I made you a new receiver for your rifle using a desk fan and some vegetable starch. So hush.”

He shrugged, and smiled in spite of himself. Nora was the only one who could really crack his tough merc act. “I never did thank you for that, did I? Well, uh, thanks.”

Nora quickly pecked his cheek. “Any time, big guy.” She hurried off ahead of him, awfully fearless for a former vault dweller. 

“Don't get too far away,” he called after her. “I like bein' close.”

Not that he minded when she'd run off a little, especially on the days she'd wear that freaking vault suit. She acted like she had no idea how little it left to the imagination, but he had a sneaking suspicion she wore it mostly to tease him.

–--

“Ugh, finally!” Nora exclaimed, practically sprinting across the wooden bridge leading to Sanctuary. “I'm home!” She flung herself at Piper, who had been chatting with Carla on the road near the bridge. Piper stumbled back from the force of the embrace. Mac focused on Nora's legs around Piper's hips and felt his cheeks grow hot. Carla sneered and waved a silent goodbye before heading off. 

“Jeez, Blue, you smell like brahmin turd.” Piper pulled away from Nora and pinched her nose shut. She looked Nora up and down, mentally noting the fresh cuts and smears of dirt. “What were you guys even doing?”

Nora smiled brightly, ignoring the jab. She gestured for Piper's canteen and took a huge swig. Wiping a hand across her mouth, she began counting out the different scenarios on her fingers. “One, super mutants kidnapped Connie Abernathy. Two, we had to help defend Hangman's Alley again, and later some raiders were harassing one of my caravans near the Slog.” She shook her head, raiders were the least of her worries at this point. “Also I wanted to explore a bit,” she gestured at her full pack, a telephone cord hanging out the side.

MacCready rolled his eyes so hard it was almost audible. “She means she wanted to hoard some more. I saw her pick up like twenty rolls of duct tape and I don't even know how many plates.”

Piper guffawed. “What are you gonna do with all this, Blue?” She hefted one of Nora's bags, and the three began walking toward the workshops. “I can see the headlines now – local vault dweller finds one hundredth typewriter!” Piper poked Nora's side as the three walked side by side.

Nora frowned as she looked at Piper, but her eyes seemed to sparkle. “I'm gonna build something big enough to shut both of your mouths. I mean, I could always just let those generators fail if you don't want me hoarding anymore,” she added over her shoulder to Mac as she walked away from the other two, heading toward the water pumps and workshop. The sooner she dropped off this scrap, the sooner she could finally get that freaking bath she'd been fantasizing about pretty much since they left Sanctuary.

–

Bathing post-war was not an easy task. Nora silently thanked her parents for being doomsday preppers for probably the eighth time this week. She was at least able to make soap, which cut down most of the problems. The biggest issue was hauling the hot water to the tub in her house and stripping down in time before it got cold. To this end, she usually recruited Mac and Preston to help her lug the enamel buckets from the camp stoves to her makeshift bathroom.

“You all set, General?” Preston kept his eyes averted. There was something strangely personal about bathing for him, and despite himself, he couldn't control the burn of his cheeks. 

Nora was humming, setting out a washcloth, a bar of soap, and a towel. She turned back to her most loyal soldier, her first wasteland friend, and smiled. “Yeah, thanks, Preston. I'll see you in the morning for rounds, okay?”

“Roger that, General.” He was anxious to leave her to this...task. Nora had to be the only person he knew who insisted on full bathing all the time like some rich Diamond City type. Most minutemen and settlers were happy using cold water and rags every few days.

“Dismissed,” she turned away and began untying her boots. Preston closed the door behind him and she listened to him trudge down the front steps and out of her house. She sat in the chair next to the tub and began peeling off layer after layer as fast as she could once she was sure he wouldn't come back with word of a settlement needing her.

She had already washed her hair. She, even six months after coming out of the vault, refused to cut it all off, opting to wear buns most of the time. Only problem was that her hair tended to catch blood and twigs easily. Her favorite part came after her hair was clean. This part.

Gingerly, she stepped into the warm water. She sighed happily as she sat down in the water and closed her eyes. Not much felt better than feeling the soft, warm ripples of clean water lapping against her. Nora stayed there for a few moments, relishing the quiet, delicious heat.

Satisfied, Nora reached for the cloth and bar of soap, getting to work scrubbing the sweat and dirt from her skin. It was a sort of meditation for her. She had a routine. She started at the neck, echoes of her mother's voice reaching her even now as she remembered the back of her ears and back of her neck. She worked her way down shoulders, chest---she yelped as the door opened. She hurried to cover herself with the cloth.

“Oh, uh, hey, Nora,” a flush crept across MacCready's cheeks. He felt hot and his mouth went dry, but he seemed stuck in place. They'd slept together a few times on the road, and most people understood they were together, but he'd never seen her like this. Soft, and...what was the word? He had no idea but he noticed his trousers seemed to grow tighter and he prayed that Nora didn't notice.

For her part, she recovered quickly and dropped the cloth. She saw him swallow hard as his eyes darted to her bare chest and seeing him gazing at her only made her bolder. “What, Mac, you've never taken a bath before?” she looked up at him, pretending to be oblivious. She wanted to mess with him after he gave her a hard time about her...collecting.

He looked from her, to the water, to the towel, and back to Nora, trying his hardest to focus on her face. “Um, no, I haven't, actually. Just...I usually just wipe things down when I get the chance. Why?” He tried to sound casual but his voice sounded huskier than usual.

Nora was so taken aback, she didn't even notice the change of tone in his voice. Never ever having a bath?! “Are you serious?! Get over here, get in, let me teach you! Baths are the best.” She reached out toward him from the tub, afraid that if she stood up, she'd slip.

MacCready walked over, trying his damnedest to keep the “confused but curious” face on. It took all his willpower not to show the wolfish grin threatening to blow his feigned innocence. “All right, show me.”

Nora frowned up at him, folding her arms under her chest. “It usually works best if you're, well, if you're undressed.” a soft pink flush bloomed on her cheeks and her chest. She had no idea why she was so bashful, it wasn't like they weren't familiar with each other's bodies. 

But that's when it hit her. The only times they'd ever had sex were rushed, animalistic moments on the road, usually not long after a fight and after checking each other over for injuries. Usually she'd pull down her pants just enough, and Mac would simply unbuckle and unzip his fly before he'd take her from behind. They'd never actually seen each other fully naked before. 

“Oh, uh, right,” MacCready nodded and hurriedly stripped. He'd washed himself plenty of times with cold water and wasn't looking forward to the possibility of hanging out in a tub full of it.

“God, you really need a bath,” she watched as he pulled off his socks, duster, undershirt, pants. She silently took note of the wiry muscles and the scars on his back and abdomen, admiring how strong he was to survive out here for so long. 

“Thanks, Nora,” he scowled and looked back at her. He still had his underwear on. “Don't look?”

“Oh, come on, I've seen your junk before.” She grinned up at him to show that she didn't mean anything negative by it.

“Please? You can look at it all you want later. I'm just...not used to an audience for this part?”

“Fine, RJ. Just hurry up and get in, the water is gonna be cold.” She closed her eyes and waiting expectantly. She held out an arm to help him get in. She opened her eyes and had to resist the overwhelming urge to look down at his crotch.

“You ready for your lesson?” Nora asked, soap and cloth in hand. Mac looked at the sight in front of him and couldn't believe what luck he had. A naked, wet, woman with pre-war curves like in some spank mags he'd scavenged forever ago kneeled in front of him, was going to wash him. Jesus Christ.

He closed his eyes and nodded, sinking into the warm water. If every bath was like this, he'd probably come to love them, too. She wet his skin, moving gently over the scars, running the pads of her finger tips along a particularly long one. He groaned softly. “Oh, I'm sorry,” she murmured. 

He shook his head, eyes still closed. “No, it felt good. Keep going. Teach away, Nora.”

“Okay,” she nodded, lathering the washcloth as best as she could. “Well, first you start with your neck, and don't forget the back of your ears,” she spoke softly, eyes narrowed in concentration. The hard life he'd led until this point showed everywhere, but couldn't hide how attractive she found him. She gently scrubbed him, moving down slowly, taking her time to admire his body, and how, despite the mental and physical injuries he'd told her about, he'd kept going. He was here, with her, still going. Still living.

A barely audible moan escaped his lips. “You're good at this.”

She smiled at him, even though he still refused to open his eyes. She moved down, moving the cloth over his chest and arms, and down, tracing the trail of hair down to his navel with one hand. “You, uh, you go to the legs and feet next. I tend to keep my underarms and private spots for last.” She rinsed the cloth, repeating the process of lathering. 

Her hands grazed his thighs, her touch so close to his most sensitive area broke his act. He grunted and finally, he opened his eyes to meet hers. He stared at the woman before him, convinced he must be dreaming. His balls ached, and he realized she could definitely see his erection. He reached out to cup one of her breasts, groaning at the contact. He'd never actually touched one of her tits before, but it felt as good as he'd imagined a pre-war one might feel.

“You already know how to bathe, don't you,” she said, her voice hoarse. A fact.

A devious smile slowly spread across his lips and he nodded. He ran his thumb softly over her nipple, feeling it harden at his touch. She bit her lip and closed her eyes. “Of course I know how, beautiful. I just wanted to see if you'd do the dirty work for me.” Mac chuckled at his pun, moving his lips to graze her jaw. “I hope you're not pissed.”

Nora shook her head, swallowing. It had been so long since she'd been touched like this. “No...no. I'm not upset. I mean, like, at first I thought you were messing with me. But then I convinced myself that it was possible people had no idea,” she smiled as he worked his way lazily down to her neck, stopping to nibble at her ear along the way.

“I wanna teach you some other stuff I know how to do, but we'd have to go to your room...” he whispered into her ear, one hand cupping her head, the other slowly traveling down to the space where her legs met. 

Nora sighed, seeking his lips with hers. “What do you have in mind?” He groaned at hearing her breathy voice.

She broke away from him, stepping out of the bath. She ran a towel down herself slowly, looking back at Mac and smirking. He hurriedly rinsed off and joined her, pressing his cock against her rear, his hands reaching around to her front. “Well, first, I'd show you that my hands are good for more than just aiming and pulling triggers...and then maybe I'd show you that I can do more than just bend you over a table.” His voice came out so low, it was almost like a growl in her ear. She ached between her legs. “Not that there's anything wrong with that,” he murmured, kissing down from her neck to her shoulder, reaching to cup her chest.

She moaned softly, grinding herself against him. “Teach away, RJ.”


End file.
